“I knew it was a f**king good album, but when somebody just told me it’s gone top in 50 countries – I didn’t know there were fifty countries, and I’m number one in all of them! I’m just devastated.”

Ozzy has had a well-publicised battle with drink and drugs that has plagued his career with Black Sabbath.

The 64-year-old released a statement in April this year admitting he had resumed drinking and taking drugs for the past 18 months. He also stated he had been clean since March, with his problems affecting his home life and resulting in him living apart from wife Sharon for a while.

Despite those issues, the band came together surprisingly easily during last year’s recording sessions.

“It was like getting back to the fish in water,” Ozzy said. “You know, we swam."

Ozzy admits he is the reason that the band’s attempts to reform previously have failed. Around 11 years ago when the band tried to record together, his main consideration was his family’s reality TV show The Osbournes.

“My ego – I was riding on this f**king cloud of being television’s new megastar for five minutes," he admitted. "I was doing well on my own, so it took me a while to get that balanced out in my head. I mean, it’s not Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. It’s f**king Black Sabbath. It’s different from me doing my own thing.” Copyright: Cover Media 2013